Zhu's Plant Journal 2026-09-20 Sowing
My kikko star cactus seedlings
I have sown star cactus many times, and most ran into trouble at around 2-inch-pot size. Only this kikko batch has kept growing steadily, and it has even produced a plant with yellow variegation.
Among cacti, I have actually sown star cactus quite a few times, but most plants have run into what growers call red rot once they reach about 2-inch-pot size. So this is not a plant I have much of a knack for.
The kikko type, though, has done quite well so far. Out of curiosity I bought seed of all sorts of star cactus, including kikko, and only this batch has kept growing steadily to this day. There aren't many plants, but you can see some differences between them, and I have even got one with yellow variegation.
The name I found is Astrophytum asterias 'Kikko', but there is no longer any way to check whether the seed I got really came from this cultivar.
From here I'll keep watching how this small batch develops, and hope to get some varied individuals.
The researched information on this species, including its listing in CITES Appendix I, is on the star cactus plant page.